New England Aquarium scientists spot young North Atlantic right whale entangled in Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence

BOSTON, MASS. (June 26, 2024) – Research scientists with the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life were part of a team that spotted an entangled young North Atlantic right whale in Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence on June 22, documenting rope through the whale’s mouth, across the back, around the right flipper and trailing behind.

The Aquarium team was aboard the vessel FRC Charlie, along with the Canadian Whale Institute and Équipe de Désempêtrement du Golfe, when they spotted the entangled yearling east of Miscou Island, New Brunswick. Aquarium scientists were able to identify the whale as the 2023 calf of “War” (Catalog #1812). The last confirmed sighting of the female yearling, who is about a year and a half old, was February 16, 2024, off the southeast United States and she was gear free. It is not known where this entanglement occurred.

The whale was seen alone when Aquarium researchers Kate McPherson and Kelsey Howe spotted lines on the entangled whale. They followed the whale for about an hour maneuvering slowly to keep up and assess the extent of the entanglement but not startle her.

“On her first surfacing there was just enough water running off her back to make me unsure of what I was seeing, but as she dove it became very clear that there was rope over her back,” said Kate McPherson, a research technician with the Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center. “My heart sank instantly as I alerted the rest of the boat that we had an entangled whale; this is the last thing any of us wants to see when we are out surveying.”

After determining there was trailing line behind the whale’s flukes of about two to three whale lengths, the team was able to use the trailing line to attach a telemetry buoy that transmits data to a satellite system and provides the location of the whale.

As soon as the team determined the whale was entangled, they initiated contact with Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans and other entities operating in the area, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) plane surveying in the area in collaboration with Canadian partners. The tagged whale is being closely monitored and disentanglement efforts are underway and will continue as weather permits.

This whale’s mother “War” was first seen in 1988, making her at least 35 years old, but her exact age is unknown. This recently entangled whale is War’s seventh known calf. Even with a relatively small known family, “War” and all her offspring, including this yearling, have collectively experienced at least 15 entanglements and one vessel strike injury.

“This latest case, which continues to be a chronic problem facing this species, highlights the critical need to maintain forward momentum on the implementation of modified fishing gear throughout their range in Canada and the U.S. in order to prevent these complex and potentially lethal entanglements from occurring,” said Amy Knowlton, Senior Scientist in the Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center.

North Atlantic right whales are one of the most endangered large whale species in the world, with an estimated population of less than 360 individuals. Scientists at the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life curate the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog, an identification database, on behalf of the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium with support from NOAA Fisheries and others. As part of this work, the Aquarium assesses all photographed sightings to determine if the whale has any external evidence of human impacts, including entanglement. This evidence includes wrapping scars caused by a previous entanglement in fishing gear or, in some cases, the whale may still have the entangling gear attached. From 1980 to the present, over 1,800 entanglement events of right whales have been documented. Of concern is the increasing frequency of moderate and severe injuries from entanglements, which have negative effects on reproduction and survival.

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